Popular cat treats include Temptations. In favor of these crunchy treats, cats will often forego their regular diet.
However, consuming an excessive amount can lead to dependency, weight gain, and even malnutrition. That’s why it’s important to limit their food intake.
Temptations are highly sought after by feline finicky eaters due to their assortment of meaty and seafood-inspired flavors. Animal digest, a standard component of pet food, is used in their production.
It gives Temptations that delicious flavor cats can’t get enough of and is made from undecomposed animal protein.
Some cats develop an addiction to the treats despite the fact that they are made with all-natural ingredients.
Keep your cat’s daily treat intake to no more than 15 pieces. Overfeeding a cat can lead to undesirable actions like aggression and begging. Weaning your cat off the treats is necessary if this occurs.
Can Cats Become Addicted to Temptations?
Many felines are completely addicted to Temptations treats due to their delicious flavor. What makes Temptations so irresistible to feline finickiness is a double basting of digest, which is also the main ingredient in these treats.
Animal digest is a protein source commonly found in pet food and treats. It is made by hydrolyzing undecomposed animal protein sources like liver, muscle, and soft tissues with chemicals or enzymes.
The protein is hydrolyzed, which breaks it down into amino acids, which give Temptations their delicious flavor.
Cats have been shown to have an innate preference for foods with a robust umami flavor, such as those that contain a lot of amino acids, as reported in the scientific journal Animals.
Because of this, cats find animal digest to be quite tasty. Cat treat addiction symptoms include:
- Crying and purring
- Trying to get into the treat drawer
- Anxiety and restlessness
- Up and down pacing
Temptations come in a variety of delicious flavors, some of which are:
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Catnip
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Beef
- Lobster
- dairy cream
- Crab
There’s something here for even the pickiest of cats, given the variety of flavors available. Unfortunately, some cats beg for Temptations so much that they stop eating their regular food.
Giving your cat a few Temptations every day will only encourage it to seek out more treats. In order to obtain more Temptations, addicted cats will meow, hiss, and scratch at doors.
They’ll also scratch at the door of the pantry where they know their treats are kept. If you don’t stop this behavior, it will only get worse.
Are Temptations Treats Safe for Cats?
Temptations treats don’t provide any measurable health benefits. Since there is a daily limit on how much food you can give your cat, you shouldn’t have any issues and can eat without worry. Too many can be harmful to your cat.
Now that you know Temptations are risk-free, you may be wondering if they’re good for your cat’s health. These treats are good for your cat, but you should only give them to it in small amounts.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement, a method of training used for many purposes, is most effective when paired with desirable outcomes, such as temptations. Treats are an important part of positive reinforcement, which is used to teach cats tricks and improve their behavior.
In order to get their paws on a few Temptations, cats are more likely to comply with their owners. Overfeeding is unlikely if you only give them food one at a time, so they pose no health risks.
Improve Mood
Feeding your cat a few Temptations can help lift its spirits if it’s feeling down and depressed.
Putting some Temptations in a toy that dispenses treats is a great way to distract your cat and improve its mood. These toys satisfy cats’ innate desire to hunt.
Build Bonds
You can strengthen your bond with your cat by sharing a bowl of Temptations. If your cat likes these treats, it will associate you with good things because you provided them.
Offering Temptations can help a shy, nervous, or anxious cat come out of its shell and interact with its owner. It will also aid in earning its confidence.
Fussiness
If your cat is picky about what it eats, you can keep it from going hungry by offering it Temptations.
The treats are essentially junk food for cats, but they are made from all-natural ingredients, so they are preferable to cats going hungry.
Are Temptations Bad for Cats?
The Temptations haven’t always had positive coverage in the media. According to previous reports, 12 cats became ill after consuming the treats, and 2 of them ultimately developed renal failure.
Owners worry even though there have been no confirmed cases reported by veterinarians.
In moderation, Temptations can be harmless. The following ingredients and health problems may arise if you feed them to your cat, so be careful.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Feeding your cat Temptations instead of its regular, balanced food will deprive it of essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
VCA Hospitals claims that when cats are fed low-quality commercial dry food, they develop nutritional deficiencies. They can also grow if the wrong supplements are added to their commercial diets.
Never give your cat more Temptations at once than the label recommends, and never give your cat less. Doing so could lead to nutritional deficiencies in your cat.
Grain Products
Temptations are not a part of a cat’s natural diet because they contain grain products. This is likely because it prevents them from ingesting harmful plants. Some felines have a grain allergy, so not all cats can eat Temptations.
However, grains are an excellent way to get the nutrients you need, including fiber, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, and easily absorbed proteins. Temptations are great, but only in moderation; never give them to your cat.
Corn Gluten
Corn gluten is an inexpensive protein additive that is used in some flavors of Temptation. It’s mainly used as a filler because it has no amino acids and thus little nutritional value.
Your cat may develop severe allergies to corn gluten if it is regularly consumed, leading to gastrointestinal and skin issues.
Added Flavorings
Temptations treats are seasoned with a variety of spices and seasonings. These are all natural ingredients, but they aren’t foods cats typically eat, so they may not agree with their systems.
Similarly, these are highly addictive ingredients, which is why Temptations are so popular among cats. Cats’ mental health can also be negatively impacted, leading to undesirable behaviors.
Temptations are the feline equivalent of junk food because they contain such unhealthy ingredients.
Weight Gain
The calorie count of each sweet is minimal. The average indoor cat requires only 20 calories per pound of body weight per day. Cats that live outdoors require an extra 5 calories per pound of body weight per day.
Overfeeding Temptations treats to your cat can lead to weight gain. Cats’ caloric needs aren’t easily put into perspective when compared to human needs.
However, due to their diminutive size, many pet owners are shocked to learn how few calories their pets actually need. Some of the health problems that can arise from being overweight are:
- Arthritis
- Struggle to move
- Diseases of the heart, kidneys, and liver
- Diabetes
- Cystitis
Wild cats get the nutrition they need from consuming 6-9 small mice per day.
Diarrhea
The digestive system can go into a tailspin if you give in to temptation. This could be due to your cat becoming accustomed to the treats after eating too many over a long period of time, or it could be because you just started giving your cat treats.
Your cat’s diarrhea should stop once it becomes accustomed to the new food. But diarrhea is never a good indicator of health. If your cat develops stomach problems after eating Temptations, you should gradually reduce the amount you feed over the course of several days.
Allergies
Some cats may have an allergic reaction after eating Temptations because they contain ingredients that trigger allergies. Many times, cat owners don’t discover their feline’s allergy until after their cat has eaten the offending food. Cats with a Temptations allergy may exhibit the following symptoms:
- A skin itch
- Hair loss
- Diarrhea
- Flatulence
- Vomiting
- Stomach ache
- Listlessness
- Scratching
- Papules and other bumpy skin conditions
The Journal of Nutrition reports that skin reactions are the primary symptom of food allergies. Chicken, beef, and fish are the staple flavors in the Temptations line because they are also the most commonly avoided allergens.
It’s not very common, but it is possible for cats to have an allergic reaction after eating the treats. Be on the lookout for clinical symptoms in your cat.
What Do Temptations Do to Cats?
Cat owners frequently wonder if giving their felines treats will cause them to act hyper. The problem is that there is no easy solution. While some cats may become overly excited after eating Temptations, the vast majority simply accept the treat gratefully and carry on with their day.
Some felines, however, develop an extreme case of hyperactivity after eating cat treats. The anticipation of eating their favorite dishes may be too much to handle.
Some felines are driven almost entirely by the prospect of food and spend their days actively seeking it.
Addiction to cat treats is the most common cause of this problem. If your cat exhibits signs of overexcitement and hyperactivity after eating treats, you may be giving it too many.
Treats for cats increase their energy levels, which in turn makes them more playful. The symptoms of hyperactivity are:
- Cats playing zoomies, or racing around the house
- Arranging furniture jumps
- Climbing
- Human and animal pursuit
- An obsession with grooming and licking
- Meowing
- Pawing at the ball
As long as your cat hasn’t had too many treats, this is perfectly normal behavior.
Can Cats Eat Temptations as a Meal?
The nutritional needs of your cat will be met in full by most Temptations treats. They should be served in addition to a healthy meal, not as a replacement for your cat’s regular food.
Daily treat amounts should not exceed 15 treats for every 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of Temptations. They can be fed at regular intervals or as needed throughout the day, but don’t overdo it.
As long as you always have clean water available, the manufacturers of both Whiskas Meaty Selections and Temptations treats say you can swap out 14 cup of one for the other.
If you go this route, you may want to thin out the treats by mixing them with canned wet food for your pet.
You can give your cat 10 Temptations at the same time every day until the hairballs stop occurring if you want to treat the underlying cause. Ten treats per cat, per day, will help keep hairballs at bay.
The best way to prevent your cat from becoming overweight from eating too many Temptations treats is to employ portion control strategies.
How To Wean a Cat off Temptations
In extreme cases, a cat’s Temptations addiction may require professional intervention. Sometimes, after eating them, cats get sick and have to switch to something else.
If you try to calm your pet and get it to stop misbehaving by giving it treats, the cycle will only continue.
Addiction to cat treats is difficult to break, but it can be done with time and effort. You need to be strict with your cat as you wean it off of treats. If your cat is demanding treats by biting and scratching, resist giving in to its demands. You’ll have to restart everything if you do.
Automatic Feeder
Cats learn early on that they can influence their owners’ behavior by misbehaving for treats. A bonded pet could use this information against you. An automatic feeder takes you out of the equation, so your cat has less incentive to beg you for food.
You can train your pet to expect its treat only at certain times of the day with a high-quality feeder that can be set to do so automatically. This is a natural way to control how much food you give your cat.
A treat-dispensing toy is yet another choice. You can teach your cat a valuable lesson about the value of hard work by making it earn its food rewards.
Change the Treats
If your cat has developed an unhealthy obsession with Temptations, switching to a different brand of treats may help.
You could also try offering something like cooked chicken or tuna as a treat instead of Temptations, but only in very small quantities. That way, your feline friend can get all the protein and amino acids it needs without any of the fillers.
Playtime and Exercise
Use play and exercise to divert your cat’s attention away from treats. When bored, some cats will insist on getting food. To avoid this, make sure your cat gets plenty of exercise and mental challenge by playing with it regularly and with its favorite toys and games.
This will help your cat maintain a healthy weight while also fighting its Temptation addiction. If your cat has gained weight due to an abundance of treats, this is a crucial step to take.
Clicker Training
Using clicker training again will teach your cat that it must earn its rewards rather than simply demanding them. It’s almost like a reward, and it’ll make your cat less reliant on you being there at all hours.
Ration Treats
Rationing treats is the most humane way to wean your cat off of them. Your cat will probably insist on them, but getting them is a real pain. If you want to see results more quickly, you can also try completely limiting them.
This is a great option to use in conjunction with playing with your cat if you give it treats whenever it asks. Your cat will outgrow its treat dependence over time.
The recommended daily amount of Temptations treats is safe, but giving your cat more than that could be harmful. To prevent serious behavioral issues, keep an eye on your cat and avoid giving it too much food.
Weaning your cat off treats is necessary if it develops behavioral issues or shows signs of addiction.